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N1njaSquirrel

Idle Santa 2014

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I've been meaning to do this earlier, but I've been extremely busy recently, so sorry for the delay!

 

I mentioned it on the Xmas thread if anyone would be interested in a secret santa thing on the idle thumbs forum, and there was some interest, so here is a thread specifically about it.

 

How to enter:

 

  • PM me with your name, Address and country before the 30th November.
  • In the PM, also state if you are up for: shipping (i.e. physical present), international shipping (i.e. present from abroad), digital, or all/mix of the above!
  • Also state any important information like food allergies.
  • If you are wanting a digital present, also include your steam ID/email address.

 

Rules:

  • Present(s) should cost no less than $20 - $25, excluding shipping (note: I have no idea how much international shipping costs, so if this'll cost too much, let me know!)
  • You must be an established forum account to enter. This is to prevent flakey flakers flaking out at the last minuet, meaning someone doesn't get a present and being sad. They'll probably cry. I know I would.

After the 30th, I shall randomly assign people according to their shipping options, and then hopefully people will send off stuff and it'll all be fun and games. You shall get the address of your secret Santa by the 1st/2nd Post on this thread what you get! Or don't! (but do)

 

If there's anything I've missed out, please comment! This is the first time I've tried organizing something like this. I know Bjorn suggested Elfster, but I don't think that this forum is as big as the giant bomb forum. I could be wrong though! I guess I'll find out! :D

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I totally missed seeing this earlier, just PM'd you.  Thanks again for organizing this!

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PM'd. Would people mind stating if they would be interested in alcoholic presents? I quite like nice beer and liquor and find local beers and things make good presents since, they are local, but of course not everyone likes or can receive that sort of thing.

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PM'd. Would people mind stating if they would be interested in alcoholic presents? I quite like nice beer and liquor and find local beers and things make good presents since, they are local, but of course not everyone likes or can receive that sort of thing.

 

That would involve state-by-state legal issues. Not that I haven't fudged them in the past, but it can be a hassle.

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I'm not entirely sure if I can take part yet, waiting to find out some stuff.

Though I will say that personally $20 is a significant amount especially if I had any intention of paying postage.

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That would involve state-by-state legal issues. Not that I haven't fudged them in the past, but it can be a hassle.

 

Yeah. I do fudge them all the time (I trade beer). The legal gist is that its only against the law with USPS, so if you use UPS or Fedex its fine, you just dont tell them there is alcohol in the package and they don't care. That said, its not too important here really.

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I do a secret santa every year on another forum,* and here's a quick guide to how we run it. It seems to work pretty well.

 

-everyone sends a PM to one user with their name, address, likes, dislikes, any important details like food allergies or digital/physical preferences, and whether they're willing to ship internationally. I've found that it helps to include Backloggery pages, amazon wishlists, etc. The names are sorted by RNG and the emails are then forwarded to their assigned Santa.

-a few volunteers are assigned as emergency Santas. If someone doesn't or can't fulfill their secret santa obligations, the emergency Santas get gifts for those who would otherwise get left out. Anyone who doesn't send a gift without an adequate explanation is banned from participating next year.

-If someone still can't figure out what to get their giftee or need more information, there's a dummy Santa account with a publicly-available password that anyone can use to PM their giftee any questions they might have. The giftee responds in a thread rather than by PM so that the Santa can see it without having to log in to the Santa account and sort through a bunch of unrelated PMs.

-it's not a competition to see who gets the "best" gift, but everyone still shows off their shit when it arrives. 'Cause why not.

 

 

*I got a spice set from Idle Videos' Johnny Driggs one year. True story.

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Yeah. I do fudge them all the time (I trade beer). The legal gist is that its only against the law with USPS, so if you use UPS or Fedex its fine, you just dont tell them there is alcohol in the package and they don't care. That said, its not too important here really.

 

FWIW, if you ship like this via UPS or FedEx and don't tell them what's in the box, it (while very unlikely) can actually come back on you with legal responsibility if the bottles break and cause damage to other packages.  I'm friends with a guy who owns multiple UPS stores, and this is a real thing they've had to deal with. 

 

So if you do it, make sure that shit is packed crazy good. 

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Regretful personal history has shown that I should not participate in these, but I love watching these events. Godspeed, you crazy thumbs.

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Just sent in my PM. In my old forum we took to posting hints and stuff in the thread to help those that might not be too familiar with each others' likes from past posting habits, so here it goes.

 

In a pinch, my Steam ID is D3war and I have an Amazon wishlist available here: http://amzn.com/w/3AM23YDTK8J50

 

But what I really want is stuff that you think is awesome. If it's just some touristy trinkets from around your home town, or a quirky steam game that you think more people should play, I'm all for that. I love being surprised so just be creative and send me something that's important or cool to you :)

 

I would definitely accept alcohol, but Washington State is still trying to figure out how to handle that stuff with the state liquor stores closing down last year, so I'll leave it up to you if you want to take the risk :) 

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But what I really want is stuff that you think is awesome. If it's just some touristy trinkets from around your home town, or a quirky steam game that you think more people should play, I'm all for that. I love being surprised so just be creative and send me something that's important or cool to you :)

 

I want to second this :tup:

 

I'd actually much prefer a gift that is a reflection of the giver than something that was picked because I want it.  In the JPAGSS, some of the best gifts I received were people just giving the stuff they already loved (someone's favorite party board game, another person's favorite book, a CD I hadn't heard before and this groovy tiki god stature).  They were all things the gift givers thought were awesome, and wanted to share.  I think that's the best rule of :tup: to follow when trying to pick out a gift for something like this.

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yay! The More the merrier!

 

Sorry for being so late in replying and stuff, I've been meaning to do this for a while, but relocating is hassle (this is the last time I'll use that excuse, I promise! :P (as I have now relocated))

 

-everyone sends a PM to one user with their name, address, likes, dislikes, any important details like food allergies or digital/physical preferences, and whether they're willing to ship internationally. I've found that it helps to include Backloggery pages, amazon wishlists, etc. The names are sorted by RNG and the emails are then forwarded to their assigned Santa.

 

I think this is a good idea, especially the allergies. I'll update the rules! Thanks Teg!

 

But what I really want is stuff that you think is awesome. If it's just some touristy trinkets from around your home town, or a quirky steam game that you think more people should play, I'm all for that. I love being surprised so just be creative and send me something that's important or cool to you :)

 

I agree with Dewar regarding my present, but I don't drink! So no alcohol please!

 

I was actually thinking to keep the username of the person you are sending it to a secret, and just providing a name and address (which, of course, could not be a secret if you recognize the name of the person XD). If someone hasn't posted their likes/dislikes on their present on here, I'll ask them directly. I'll then copy their answer on the message with their address and name.

 

This is getting exciting!

 

2 weeks to go if you want to enter!

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Yes, I second the "stuff that you think is awesome", that's what I want. No alcohol, please. Cheers! :D

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Yes, I second the "stuff that you think is awesome", that's what I want. No alcohol, please. Cheers! :D

Aye seconded. Probably should send a PM though.

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